


Pinecone

by Kiloueka



Series: Limbo [4]
Category: NieR: Automata (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff and Crack, Gen, mild crack
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-26 19:42:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 801
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21379525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kiloueka/pseuds/Kiloueka
Summary: Stinky is sad and bored until he finds a pinecone.(May or may not be canon to Limbo. Who knows? I sure don't)
Series: Limbo [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/912921
Comments: 8
Kudos: 17





	Pinecone

9S sat in the center of the large pit, shivering in the dim light. He picked at some damp decaying leaves plastered to his fragile, rotting arms and flicked them into the ever-growing pile of debris that littered the bottom of the pit. 

After prying a random maple leaf, that somehow blew over from all the way across Limbo, from an open wound on his shoulder, he grunted and half considered taking one of the many tarps 2B had left at the edge of the pit over the past few days.

It’s not like that would help though, it would just end up getting muddy and covered in leaves anyway.

_ But it’s easier to clean than the ground.  _ A voice in his mind told him.

He snorted. That may be true but he couldn’t let 2B win.

_ Win what? _

He grunted again. Win… something... Think he needs her. That’s it. He couldn’t let her think he needed her, he was fine on his own.

He stretched out and winced as his arm malfunctioned and fell limply to his side. Growling, he grabbed it with his “good” arm and pulled and twisted it around until he could regain some feeling and movement in it. His fingers twitched and he managed to pick up a twig with some difficulty. He sighed, it was getting worse… He had to do something before he became glued to that spot and was at the mercy of anyone who came across him… which was just 2B and well… himself.

Maybe a bird would make a nest in his hair… he scrapped that thought pretty quickly after he coughed up a cup of putrid slime into his hand.

A sudden sharp sound startled him from his thoughts and he clumsily flipped himself around toward the source. A rather large pinecone rolled down and bounced across several rocks before coming to a stop almost arm’s reach from him.

He stared at it for a long moment, melancholic thoughts already pushed to the dark recesses of his mind and his eyes widened. He reached forward and poked at it with his claws. It rolled up a slight incline a few inches and rolled back even closer to him. A spark ran through him and he smacked it a bit harder than before; it rolled back up and over the incline and stopped out of reach. 

9S turned around fully to face the pinecone before hunching down on his hands and knees and narrowing his eyes. It stayed still where it came to rest but he stared at it as he positioned himself in a more tactical… and comfortable position.

A leaf fell nearby and the minute sound caused him to pounce… and miss his mark entirely as his leg seized up and he stumbled into the muck a few feet away. He cursed under his breath and scrambled up, ignoring the pain and malfunctions to reach out to the pinecone again and swat it across the ground into the shadows.

The light was faint but he could still make out the outline as he straightened himself back out and hobbled over to it, somewhat attempting to prevent more leaves from working their way into his open wounds. 

When he approached it, he waited and stared for a moment before the sound of another leaf falling broke him from his trance.

He pounced, grabbing the pinecone in his hands and flipping to his back. Alarm bells rang in his head from his exertion but he ignored them as he hooked his foot under it and kicked it up high into the air. It spun around wildly and he held out his arms to catch it. It fell between the gap and conked him right in the center of his forehead, causing him to hiss and flip back over on all fours.

Grumbling, he kicked at it and managed to graze the side of it, sending it skittering across the ground. The erratic movement renewed his interest and he scrambled after it and began batting it between his arms.

A small smile crept on what was left of his lips. He allowed himself to let go just a bit, to forget the past and live in the moment and simply enjoy the little things. Even if it hurt, even if he damaged himself more because of it. He was trapped in Limbo forever so he might as well make the best of it, right?

Exhaustion crept up over him so he hobbled over to the pile of leaves he called his bed. He flopped down in the small bit of dryness and curled up as comfortably as possible, cradling the pinecone in his hand and gently batting at it with his other.

Maybe things didn’t have to be so bad down there.


End file.
